"It almost looks like an A."

-- My mother, when she caught sight of this ornament on her gift bag

Um, yeah, Mum...that would be because it is an A.

Or my best attempt at one in wire and beads. Must practice, apparently.

True to form

I suspected when I started this blog that it would fall victim to my nature--in other words, it would become wildly inconsistent.

Tah dah.

I can't even blame the advent of Ravelry. I've had this affliction for a long time.

Catching up on some of this year's projects (in no particular order):


A Christmas gift for Mum. Colors are her choice and suit her perfectly. She also chose the lining fabric, a Kaffe Fassett print.


Pattern: The Bag
Designer: Wendy Wonnacott
Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Cotton Frappe, approx. 2 skeins (318 yards) in 012 Field Mix and 1 skein (159 yards) in 001 White (cream, really)
Needles: US 4/3.5 mm Addi Turbo, 24" circular

I didn't think much of the garterstitch straps called for in the pattern, so I cranked out about 10 feet of I-cord. I'm very happy with that mod.

If I recall correctly, my row gauge didn't match that specified by the pattern, so my finished bag was squatter. I remedied this by making a shallower gusset (about 1" as opposed to 3"). Another happy mod.

One source of great frustration: Even though the Field Mix colorway was not intense it bled like crazy all over the cream when I washed and blocked the main piece. The effect grew uglier as the bag dried. (The knitting looked like I'd used it to rub down a rusty car.) In desperation, I threw the bag into the washing machine on hot with color-safe bleach and some Cheer. That did the trick!

This little project entails quite a bit of finishing work. Nice--but I don't think I'll make another one.